A newborn animal, such as a calf, needs to ingest colostrum immediately after birth to obtain the maternal antibodies that will protect it from disease. However, on modern dairy farms, calves are often removed from their dams before nursing, requiring that colostrum be administered to the calf through artificial means, either a nipple and bottle or a stomach tube. The use of a stomach tube to administer the colostrum or other fluids saves the dairy farmer a significant amount of time. While a calf can nurse through an artificial nipple, this may require an inordinate amount of time when the nursing reflex is weak. A weak nursing reflex is common in newborn animals. And, there is uncertainty as to whether the fluids will and are delivered unless the dairy farmer watches each calf.
Young animals also suffer from a high rate of diarrhea, or scours. Scours can be caused by administering too much liquid feed to the animal or by infectious disease pathogens such as E. coli or rotavirus. In either case, the dehydration that occurs as a sequela to scours must be reversed to return the young animal to health. In many instances, fluid therapy with electrolytes must be continued for several days to prevent mortality.
Occasionally, young animals experience milk bloat. This can occur when milk enters the rumen, rather than the abomasum, and ferments, forming copious quantities of gas. When the gas cannot escape, the pressure can build up and cause death. A properly placed stomach tube can vent such gases and keep an animal from dying.
Though placing a stomach tube in an animal can serve several important purposes, there are obvious drawbacks to the procedure. These drawbacks apply to the insertion of any device into a body cavity. For example, it is imperative that multi-use prior art devices be disinfected between uses to prevent horizontal transmission of diseases across animals. And, it is difficult to maintain sterility in any farm environment, particularly where livestock are being kept.
Most instructions on how to use stomach tubes state that the tube should be dipped in a fluid to lubricate the outer surface to make it easier to insert into the esophagus. This is an especially important issue in the case of a dehydrated neonate with scours whose mucosal surfaces lining the throat may already be semi-dry. A stomach tube must be inserted gently.
There exists a need for devices and methods for delivering fluids to animals with a minimum of trauma and while maintaining contact surfaces sterile even though the area in which the fluids are administered are not.